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Israel Strikes Yemen’s Sanaa Airport Amid Escalating Tensions with Houthi Rebels

Israeli airstrikes have hit Sanaa Airport after Houthi missile threats following an increase in regional tensions with Yemen

The Israeli military confirmed on Tuesday that it had launched airstrikes on Yemen’s main international airport in Sanaa, in a sharp escalation of hostilities with the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels. 

The strikes come just one day after Israeli forces bombarded Yemen’s Red Sea port of Hodeidah in retaliation for a Houthi missile that landed near Israel’s primary air hub, Ben Gurion Airport.

Witnesses in Sanaa reported four strikes around the airport area, while airport sources told Reuters that the targets included three civilian planes, the departures hall, the airport runway, and a military air base under Houthi control.

Ahead of the strikes, Israel had issued warnings urging civilians to evacuate the vicinity of Sanaa International Airport. The Israeli military reiterated that remaining in the area “puts you in danger,” and released a map highlighting the target zone.

Tensions have mounted rapidly between Israel and the Houthis since the latter pledged a “comprehensive” aerial blockade on Israel in response to its expanding ground operations in Gaza. The Houthis have been targeting Israeli territory and maritime activity in the Red Sea since the onset of Israel’s war with Hamas, claiming solidarity with the Palestinian cause.

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed an “intensive” expansion of the military campaign against Hamas in Gaza and insisted that further civilian evacuations would be necessary “for their own safety.”

Monday’s Israeli airstrikes in Hodeidah killed four people and injured 39 others, according to the Houthi-run health ministry. There have been no confirmed reports of casualties from Tuesday’s strikes on Sanaa at the time of filing.

The ongoing conflict has already disrupted international air travel, with several U.S. and European airlines suspending flights to Israel following the Houthi missile incident near Ben Gurion Airport. The latest developments underscore the increasing regional fallout of the Gaza conflict, drawing in actors beyond Israel and Hamas and risking wider escalation.

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